National guidance for child protection in Scotland - Scottish ...

Chapter 6 Health Boards Structure for Delivering Child Protection Services
This section:
Outlines the strategic and corporate responsibilities of Health Boards in
child protection.
Sets out specific responsibilities of key personnel for delivering child
protection health services.
Identifies the responsibilities of operational managers in health services.
This guidance applies to all staff who have strategic responsibilities whether as
part of their specific role or delegated to them from other strategic leaders.
Collective Responsibilities for Child Protection
The National Guidance for Child Protection sets out the responsibility of all
agencies, professional bodies and services that deliver adult and/or child and
young person services and work with children and young people and families to
recognise and actively consider potential risks to a child or young person,
irrespective of whether the child or young person is the main focus of their
involvement. They are expected to identify and consider the child or young
person’s needs, share information and concerns with other agencies and work
collaboratively with other services (as well as the child or young person and their
family) to improve outcomes for the child or young person. Further information is
contained in Part 2 of the National Guidance – “Roles and Responsibilities for
Child Protection”.
Strategic Leadership for Child Protection
Chief Officers are responsible for ensuring that their agencies, individually and
collectively work to protect children and young people as effectively as possible.
They also have responsibility for maximising the involvement of those agencies
not under their direct control, including the Scottish Children’s Reporter
Administration, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the third
sector.
The following flowchart sets out the Health Board accountability structure which
describes the people with strategic and senior management responsibilities at
Board level.
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